Experiences In The D | The Blog for Visit Detroit

Images of Detroit Icons

Detroit is a culturally thriving city with oodles of history and flavor. You can feel it when you visit, so when you come, bring your camera; you’ll be making memories near some of the world’s most famous spots and sculptures. Read up on our suggestions for photo shoot stops, and be sure to share your pics with us on social media using #DepictTheD.

Photo Credit: Mike Boening

Nothing says Detroit like the monument to Joe Louis, a championship boxer — the legend that Joe Louis Arena was named after. Known as “The Fist,” this Woodward Avenue masterpiece is a visitor favorite, and if you stand at the right angle to have your picture taken, it’ll look like you’re getting punched in the face. But it’s totally worth it.

The Spirit of Detroit has a nickname, too — the “Jolly Green Giant.” It sits proudly cross legged outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Woodward Avenue. The Spirit holds in his left hand a bronze sphere with rays to symbolize God and in his right hand a group of people to symbolize a family. This 26-foot Detroit icon gets dressed in Detroit jerseys for major sporting events, such as the World Series and Stanley Cup Championship Series.

While you’re in that area, check out Transcending, a unique sculpture in Hart Plaza, shaped almost into a complete circle. The two giant arcs are meant to represent a gear coming out of the ground, a never-ending cycle of labor and the importance of labor unions in Detroit’s history.

Just across Jefferson is the Detroit International RiverWalk, a great photo opp where you can get two countries in one shot. And you’ll be looking south to Canada, as Detroit is the only major U.S. city along the U.S.-Canadian border in which you travel south to Canada.

Not too far away is Comerica Park (you can take the Detroit People Mover to get there), home to the Detroit Tigers. A heroic giant tiger statue guards the main entrance of the ballpark, and he’s a fan favorite when it comes to photos. There’s usually a line before games. The largest of eight tiger statues in the park, this one stands 15 feet tall and has a snarl that says, “Don’t mess with Detroit.”

Now, here’s a photo opp you can’t have anywhere else in the world: the first-ever four-way, three-color traffic signal was installed in 1920 on the corner of Woodward and Michigan Avenues. The actual light is now housed at The Henry Ford, but you can stand in the downtown spot, where the standard was set for future traffic regulations.

There you have it: the perfect afternoon downtown photo shoot. But there are so many other scenes to capture.